Implement Filipino Land Reform

July 27, 1987

Immediately after World War II, communists were making waves in Japan, demanding a fair deal for the proletariat.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur, at the time America`s proconsul and the de facto ruler of Japan, responded quickly, but not with force of arms. Instead, he implemented labor reform, election reform and land reform and the communist threat crumbled.

Today, the Philippines are facing a serious challenge from the communists and dealing with it will require the same tenancity and wisdom that MacArthur possessed four decades ago.

Filipinos have made an important start. They have implemented a constitution that has provided them with political freedom. The next step is to turn land reform into reality in order to bring about a more equitable distribution of the nation`s wealth.

President Corazon Aquino is on the firing line in the land-reform battle, and at the moment she seems to have opted for a middle ground that pleases few.

This week, she issued land-reform guidelines, many of which are contained in the new constitution, but left the implementation of land reform to the Congress, which will meet on Monday after a 15-year hiatus.

The disenfranchised fear a repeat of the duplicity of the past. Various governments in the Philippines have promised land reform since before the turn of the century, but to no avail.

The landowners, on the other hand, fear the loss of their land and power and some even say they will launch their own insurrection should the government attempt redistribution.

As envisoned, the government will pay major landowners 10 percent of the value of their land immediately and 10 percent for each of the next nine years. The disenfranchised who purchase the land will have 30 years to pay at 6 percent interest.

Numerous issues remain unresolved, however, including the maximum number of acres a person can own and the specific schedule for implementing reform. The landowners have powerful allies in the Congress and they could block meaninful action.

That could mean disaster. There are few nations in the world where the disparity between rich and poor is as pronounced as in the Philippines. A few people live in luxury while the many dwell in squalor.

Gen. MacArthur made this same observation years ago, and his heart went out to the disenfranchised Filipinos. Unlike in Japan, he was unable to do anything about the situation.

The Filipino government had better do something about it, and soon. If it doesn`t blood will stain this lush, green archipelago from one end to the the other.